As I
have stated in previous blogs one of the greatest strengths of the Humm-Wadsworth
is that it incorporates the Hustler as
one of its seven components. The Hustler
is driven by the desire for material success and is flexible, charming, and
potentially ruthless in achieving his or her goals.
Niccolo
Machiavelli is generally credited as being the first write to promote the
doctrine that the end not only justifies the means, but that a person’s actions
can only be properly judged through their outcomes. Neither intentions nor ideals are important
except in so far as they allow people to reach their goals. Thus while much writing on leadership advises
people to take the high road, Machiavelli said that leaders can succeed by less
scrupulous means. This has led to a
definition of a "Machiavellian" personality as a person who is
determined to achieve their goals, no matter what. Machiavellianism is now often grouped with two
other personality traits: narcissism, and psychopathy and the three are known
as the Dark Triad:
·
Narcissism is characterized by grandiosity, pride, egotism,
and a lack of empathy.
·
Machiavellianism is characterized by manipulation and
exploitation of others; a cynical disregard for morality, and a focus on
self-interest and deception.
·
Psychopathy is characterized by enduring antisocial behaviour,
impulsivity, selfishness, callousness, and remorselessness.
The above
is a great checklist for the Hustler.
Note this is a spectrum component – we all have some Hustler within our
personality. What ameliorates the
component is how much Normal we
also have – which again is a spectrum component but that fortunately increases
as we age. The Normal is driven by the
desire for order and determines how law-abiding we are.
Today Psychtests.com
has just released a new test to determine how much Machiavellianism you have in
your personality. You can read the press
release Social Butterfly, Master
Manipulator - PsychTests’ Study Reveals The Dark Side Of Social Insight here. The thrust of the article is that Social Insight,
a key factor in emotional intelligence, is largely considered a valuable skill.
Being able to perceptively and accurately appraise people and anticipate what
they might say or do allows a person to adjust their own behaviour and social
approach accordingly. However Social Insight,
if not complemented by empathy and a strong sense of social responsibility, can
lead to dishonest, deceptive, and manipulative behaviour.
The
article is worth reading but best part is a link to the new test they have
developed which measures the degree of Machiavellianism in your
personality. If you want to find
out if you have a touch of Machiavellianism go here. While the first part is subjective there are an excellent
set of mini-case studies at the end.
I
scored 60 out of 100 with the following comment.
You are not a
full-blooded Machiavellian, but do share some of the traits of this personality
type. This may be a function of your world view: While you consider it
important to conduct yourself with integrity, you also recognize that
sometimes, you need to look after yourself and perhaps even be a little
under-handed. It's well and good to take the high road, but sometimes, you may
feel that being selfish, or at least self-preserving, is necessary. You are
likely resourceful, and have a reasonably good understanding of human nature.
This is
an assessment I am happy with.
No comments:
Post a Comment